


With you, I don’t need to hide

by Morathi_Cain



Series: What is it about those engineering boys? [34]
Category: My Engineer (TV)
Genre: After the Tent Scene, Fluff, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, King got scars from the attack, M/M, Tumblr-prompt, and is self conscious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:47:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27632957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morathi_Cain/pseuds/Morathi_Cain
Summary: Tumblr-prompt: King has scars from the dog attack and is self-conscious -> Ram takes care of himWhen the last bandage of the attack is off, King starts feeling insecure. Having Ram close, who he just kissed a week prior, doesn't really help. Luckily, Ram is patient. And very very soft.
Relationships: King/Ram (My Engineer)
Series: What is it about those engineering boys? [34]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1708738
Comments: 18
Kudos: 131





	With you, I don’t need to hide

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for your request, Anon!  
> I wasn't sure which attack you meant and so I used both. Hope you like it ;)
> 
> Now, have fun!

With you, I don’t need to hide

The itching had only gotten worse since the bandage had been removed.  
It had been annoying before, but now it had gotten almost unbearable, the thought alone enough to make King want to scratch it open.

But that would only make it worse, wouldn’t it?

So, instead, he pulled down the sleeve of his shirt and desperately tried to ignore it all. The sight and the feeling. The scars might almost be healed, but the memories they were connected with, weren’t.

Tighter than necessary, King gripped his own wrist, leading the pain to stop his body from remembering. He needed to collect himself, needed to seem calm at least, even if he had no big hopes for it. Not when he was about to face Ram and his all-seeing eyes.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the door to their apartment and stepped inside.

Of course, Ram was already there, leaning over some papers he probably had to study. A sight which was so familiar by now, it hit somewhere deep inside of King. No matter how often he had come home to this, it still made him nervous.

Especially after last week.

“Hey.”

Ram looked up and King pulled down the sleeve once more, a tight smile on his face.

Instantly, Ram’s eyes followed the movement and his eyebrows pulled together in a frown. Still, King forced himself to act as natural as possible. Which was to greet his plants while being hyper-aware of Ram next to him.

But wasn’t that unfair? To all of his babies? With a sigh, he looked closer, tried to concentrate more on what was important now, instead of on things he couldn’t change anyway.

When Ram was suddenly right next to him, in his personal space, it was as much of a surprise as it wasn’t.

“What? Your bandage?”

“Ah, yeah”, King lifted his arm just enough so the sleeve would stay put, “I was just in the hospital to get it off. No worries.”

The following frown told King enough, but this time, Ram actually put words to it.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Being so close didn’t make anything better. Especially not his nervousness and King started rubbing the back of his neck as he felt his cheeks burn.

“It was no big deal, really. Done in a second, I promise.”

As Ram slowly reached for his arm, King had to control himself not to jerk it back and retreat, no matter how pressing the itch felt. Instead, he watched as Ram took a hold of him carefully, always ready to let go.

He didn’t even move, his arm powerless in Ram’s grip, when his sleeve got pulled back with tender fingers and the scars were revealed. Red and obvious, ugly in a way which made him swallow the rising bile.

Ram felt the tension and looked away from the swollen skin for a moment, to check up on King, the concern so obvious, it squeezed all the yearning inside King’s heart into a tight ball, ready to explode.

He wanted to run away, hide and make sure no one could see his marks, but at the same time, he wanted to stay like this forever, with Ram’s tender hands holding him, touching him, healing him.

“It hurts?”

King shook his head as the coolness of Ram’s fingers soothed the itch and burn a tiny bit.

“They’re itching”, he finally said, letting out a breath he had held for a while, deep in his soul, “It’s just bothersome, that’s all.”

“You’re hiding”, Ram stated, his grip tightening a tiny bit, maybe to make sure King wouldn’t run, “No more secrets. Remember?”

Of course, King remembered.

How could he forget? Like, ever? The day after the camp? The night they had finally talked, his heart on his tongue as he had stumbled through a second confession, sober and afraid? The way they had held hands and had promised to be honest from now on? To do this slowly, step by step?

He had almost died from the touch alone, from Ram being close and knowing what it all meant. From trying to believe, despite his own mind telling him how wrong he was.

But Ram had taken his hand again and again during the week, had moved closer in this careful, soft way. King hadn’t gotten used to it. Not by miles, but he had stopped running away, had stopped hiding behind walls every time Ram showed how much he liked him.

Which, apparently, he really did.

But yes, no more secrets.

He swallowed.

“I hate to look at them.”

Those familiar, dear, raised eyebrows were better than any question mark.

“They’re ugly.”

...

“They’re ugly and they remind me of my stupid mistakes and I’m afraid they won’t go away. Just like the old ones and I’d hate that ...”

Only when the words had left his mouth, did he realise what he had said, the mortification threatening to overwhelm him. And he would have run, if Ram’s grip hadn’t been like an anchor, safe and too determined to let him go.

But Ram didn’t ask. He didn’t even say anything. He just stared, lost in his thoughts and the intensity of him, of his eyes and the way he held himself, held King, sent shivers down King’s back.

“I ... uh ...”

He broke off as Ram lifted the wrist he was holding to place feather-like kisses on top of the scars, setting King’s body on fire in a new, different way.

“What ...”, his words got stuck in his throat, his thoughts whirling like a hurricane, destroying piece by piece whatever was holding him back.

When Ram let go, his breath still ghosting over King’s skin, their eyes met and the shivers got worse, made King want to grab and hold on to as if he would drown otherwise.

And he did, he finally did.  
Without finesse, he took Ram’s hand into his, held onto it with a new kind of desperation. Even for Ram.

He could see the exact moment the man came to a decision, even though he didn’t dare to guess which one.

And he still didn’t dare when Ram stepped even closer to cup King’s face with his hands, their foreheads touching and the air around them mingling.

“Come.”

Right now, Ram could have asked anything of King, could have demanded his life and King would have given him all he had to offer. Even if it was the last fibre of his heart, the smallest spark of hope.

But instead, he followed Ram, their hands joined and King’s arm for the world to see, his scars reddish and visible but blessed as well.

“Where?”

For a second, King was confused, his mind too focused on the warmth of Ram’s hand in his, the broad shoulders in front of him and the soft, soft hair framing Ram’s face. He had showered before King had arrived, apparently.

“Where?”

Memories of pain so ancient it was burned into King’s body forever, arose, old scars throbbing and the threatening sensation of claws breathing down his neck. He swallowed.

“My back.”

There was a reason why he had worn a shirt all the time and it hadn’t been modesty at all, but shame. Shame and the recurring fear, mixed in a toxic clash of emotions.

Funny, how he had never thought of showing Ram those scars, his insecurities never even letting him believe they would come as far.

But here they were, Ram pushing him down until he sat on the bed, looking upwards with all of his trust, handing it to the man in front of him. The man, who slowly sat behind him to pull up King’s shirt, bit by bit.

He moved slowly, deliberately, his touch warm and so tender, it almost made King cry.

But he still tensed when Ram reached those old scars, a dark shadow of a fear, so much deeper than any wound could be.

Circles and patterns were drawn over his skin, blurring the lines until King wasn’t sure anymore, where those spots were, faint reminders of his fear.

When those hands left him, it was as if someone had pulled him out of the water, had pushed him right back into the sun. If he could just have this back for even a second, he would give his everything, his ...

Soft lips kissed him, tentatively at first, more determined soon after, kissed every bit of his skin, until King’s body had turned into mush with no way to say where he began and Ram ended.

Strong arms engulfed him, held him close as he leaned back to receive a kiss to his temple, the softness in his heart exploding into a thousand fireworks.

For a while, they stayed like that, pressed against each other in a way they hadn’t yet experienced. In a way, King hadn’t dared to dream about, couldn’t even have imagined, really. Not even after their night in the tent, not even after accidental cuddles in bed before.

He turned to pull Ram into a proper hug, nosing at the tattoo behind Ram’s ear.

Hearing the hitch in Ram’s breath made him giddy with pride.

“Thank you”, King smiled against Ram’s neck, pressing a soft kiss to the dream catcher, a silent, enormous wish on the tip of his tongue.

Later, he would tell Ram more about the dog attack from the past.  
Later, he would relive once more the attack from one week ago.  
Later they would let their fingers wander in a first, tentative attempt to explore each other, taking their time with every step of the way.

“Let yourself heal”, Ram whispered, half asleep but his focus on King like a bright fire.

This time, it was King’s turn to frown, remembering the pain Ram himself was carrying around, burying it deep inside himself.

“Let’s heal together”, he proposed and got a smile in return.

It was truly breathtaking.

In the best way possible.

the End

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Please let me know if you like it =^^=
> 
> -> for further requests or shared screaming, feel free to message me: morathicain.tumblr.com


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